Samsung Electronics’ AI human avatar Neon, unveiled virtually at CES 2021, assists a customer at Shinhan Bank in South Korea. (Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics’ artificial humans unveiled virtually last year might return as a personal assistant and housekeeper at CES 2022.
According to the South Korean tech giant Monday, it will unveil an artificial intelligence-based “avatar” at CES 2022. The AI avatar will visualize a home into a digital world like a metaverse, find a user’s location in the real world and connect them with surrounding devices.
“The AI avatar is a ‘life assistant’ that can do the work on behalf of users anywhere and anytime. It can understand on-device conversations and control home appliances,” a Samsung Electronics official said.
While specifics haven’t been announced yet, this AI avatar does ring a bell. At the CES last year, which was held virtually for the first time, Samsung Electronics unveiled Neon, a virtual humanoid that is quite indistinguishable from a real human.
Samsung Electronics has already dispatched these AI creations to the workplace. At Shinhan Bank in South Korea, a female Neon bank teller is installed in a life-size display to assist customers with basic tasks.
Each AI-powered human is generated with a unique look and personality, and can show their own expressions and dialogues. They can act as teachers, financial advisors, healthcare providers, actors and TV anchors. Dispatching Neon as a personal assistant to homes might provide an opportunity for Samsung Electronics to validate their market scalability.
Also, Samsung Electronics will unveil a physical robot called “Samsung Bot i” for the first time at CES 2022. Samsung Bot i, which the company calls a life companion, can move side by side and interact with an owner. The new robot can set up a video conference on its own, but its other functions are unknown.
Samsung Bot Handy, which can set tables, will also be on display at CES 2022.
By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)